The Olympic and Paralympic Games: a catalyst for tourism in Paris Region

A promising first half 2024

^{Source: Choose Paris Region. Estimates based on ATR and Flux Vision data. *provisional data)}

In the 1st half of 2024, 22 million tourists chose the destination, 700,000 more than in the same period in 2023, composed of over 12 million French tourists (+3%) and 10 million international tourists (+4%), mainly from the USA, the UK, Europe, China and Brazil.

A 2024 summer season boosted by the Games

^{Source: Orange Business Flux Vision Tourism for Choose Paris Region}

Following a somewhat slow start to the summer, with a period of “preparation for the Games”, the transformation of the tourist landscape was felt at the start of the Games which attracted a record number of visitors. On July 26 in particular, the day of the opening ceremony, which welcomed almost 360,000 tourists and excursionists (62% international visitors, nearly a quarter of whom are American (23%), Chinese, Brazilian or Mexican, and 38% French visitors, two-thirds of whom are from Paris Region). At the same time, the hotel occupancy rate that day in Paris was close to 90%. 

The Games acted as a springboard for a significant increase in the number of tourists between July 24 and August 11, we observed +15% in tourist numbers, with more French (+22%) and international (+9%) visitors.

The main international customers during this period were English, American and German, who together accounted for 1/3 of international tourists (500,000 tourists out of a total of 1.5 million). Note the increase in visitor numbers from countries such as Brazil (+82%), China (+48%) and Belgium (+40%).

Over the same period, tourist flows throughout the region were well distributed, with growth ranging from +3% to +27%. The competition venues and fan zones attracted an influx of visitors, which boosted local economic activity and altered traditional areas of interest.

During the Games period, hotel operators capitalized on the Olympic craze and recorded a 66% rise in average overnight rates, from €187 in 2023 to €310 in 2024. The occupancy rate also reached 84% for Paris hotels, up 10.1 points on the same period in 2023.

In the wake of the Games, a very encouraging outlook

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games are already having an impact on Paris Region's attractiveness. The first signs of this momentum can be seen in flight bookings, up +7% in October and +6% in November compared with 2023. Customers from the American continent remain loyal to the momentum of the Games, with international flight bookings up 6% compared to September-November 2023. Note that Asian customers are up +7% over the coming months.

This performance is all the more noteworthy given that this 2023 period was marked by exceptional visitor numbers, thanks in large part to the Rugby World Cup.

These increases in flight bookings are a promising sign for the tourism sector at the end of the year.